"For every high-tech business success, there are countless failures in this California cradle of Internet startups. Here failure is accepted, or even welcomed, as a guide for future success. In fact, failure is dissected in San Francisco at FailCon, an annual one-day conference where tech entrepreneurs and investors spill their guts and share lessons learned."

"Though much of FailCon’s focus is on impersonal issues like hiring and growth, 'by signing up for a conference that says you have [failed], or you are going to fail, you walk in with a slightly more exposed mindset,' Phillipps says. 'It’s beginning to change the tone of the conversation between founders.'"

"At FailCon, the annual conference in San Francisco, not only is it okay to f*** up, it’s a badge of honor. The bigger the failure, the better. The conference was filled to the rafters with bright-eyed young entrepreneurs. However, a few representatives from household-name companies were also attending."

"In Silicon Valley, admitting you screwed up isn't just part of the culture. It's a conference. FailCon organizer Cassandra Phillips finds successful people and, like an AA meeting, gets them to talk about how they've failed."

"The most entertaining presentation at the recent FailCon conference in San Francisco came from Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who spelled out the many hurdles he faced at his last company, the peer-to-peer content delivery provider Red Swoosh."

"Valley icon and VC Vinod Khosla followed, saying that this is the one conference he asks to speak at. 'I love to talk about failure,' he said, and began to break down how he embraces thinking about failure, and what it teaches."

"A Celebration of failure with speakers from such epic fails like MySpace and the search engine we all forgot about, Cuil."

"The old saying goes, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Fortunately, FailCon got it right on its first try. The one-day Silicon Valley conference is now in its third year and expanding globally."

2010

"Dreaming of success? Then study failure – because “oops” is the mantra of champions. That was the take-away from FailCon 2010, which brought almost 500 entrepreneurs to San Francisco’s Hotel Kabuki to share and compare lessons from the school of hard knocks."

"On stage at FailCon today, Jay Adelson went over his storied career from Equinix to Digg. Adelson kept emphasizing the fact that he had no regrets despite Digg having failed to pin down acquisition offers from both Current and Google, while the news broke during the panel that Digg had just laid off 37% of its staff."

"Over the course of the day, I began to realize that there are so many ways to screw things up, it’s actually pretty amazing that anyone manages to pull it off. It makes you appreciate the miracle that is Silicon Valley."

"I expected the FailCon conference today at San Francisco’s Hotel Kabuki to be a sort of regret-fest; ex-CEOs of failed startups waxing on the do’s and don’ts for the Silicon Valley youth. I wasn’t entirely off in that expectation, though former Digg CEO Jay Adelson surprised me; he wasn’t one to lament over his missteps at his previous home."

"The reason failure is so valuable is it gives you courage,” Dyson said. “It’s more terrifying if you haven’t done it before. People who have been fired once aren’t really afraid of being fired again."

"If you’re just starting a company, FailCon is a great place to pick up cautionary tales, and learn from those who have already been there. If you’re looking for a snart, battle-tested company to invest in, this is the conference that doesn’t just spread sunshine – it tells you how it really is."

2009

"Entrepreneurs gathered in Silicon Valley this week to celebrate — not the thrill of success — but the agony of defeat. At FailCon, PayPal co-founder Max Levchin talked about how he failed repeatedly before making money with the online payment company."

"I must admit, after covering hundreds of conferences where companies try their hardest to convince you that everything is perfect, and their path to success is guaranteed to be smooth, FailCon is a breath of fresh air. "

"A whole conference devoted to failure, FailCon, may be a first, but it’s looking like a success, with the likes of PayPal co-founder Max Levchin talking about how he failed repeatedly before making billions making the payment platform for the web."